Post date: Dec 06, 2010 9:2:25 PM
Rescuers battle to recover bodies from deadly Colombian mudslide amid fears that more than 140 victims lie buried beneath tonnes of mud.
BELLO, COLOMBIA (DECEMBER 06, 2010) RCN TV - Rescue workers and volunteers on Monday (December 6) combed through piles of mud and debris as they searched for victims from a massive mudslide that buried about 50 homes in northwest Colombia on Sunday (December 5).
Nearly 150 people are feared to be buried below as volunteers, mostly family and neighbours, hope despite
the odds to find survivors.The civil defense has been called in and one worker, Alfredo Munoz said they are doing all they can as they pull lifeless bodies from the damage.
"It is delicate. The Colombian Civil Defense is still looking for victims. Up until now we have recovered 17 victims and the entire civil defense from the department is still here. On a national level we are committed to the emergency that has struck the city of Bello," Munoz said.
Bello is in the province of Antioquia, 450 kilometers (280 miles) northwest of Bogota. Heavy rains loosened the land here causing the hillside to collapse taking out dozens of homes and burying a park where children played.
Volunteers and area residents like, Sandra Jimenez were dealing with the prospects that they may not find any survivors beneath the debris.
"No, not now. They say the chances of finding them alive are very slim."
Weeks of heavy rain have caused flooding throughout the country forcing 1.5 million people from their homes this year, a number the government says could swell to 2 million.
The downpours in recent months are due to the La Nina weather phenomenon, which the government's weather office expects to last into the first quarter of next year.